Taking Flight
by ovolamp
Summary: With Jack out of town, MI6 decides to send an old acquaintance to look after Alex for the weekend. Rated T for swearing and some mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

Taking Flight  
Chapter One

* * *

"I just – I don't want you to feel like you have to do this, Alex," Jack said anxiously, quickly folding his football jersey and dropping it on the couch. "I mean, I would love to go - it's not every day you get asked to be the maid of honour at someone's wedding."

Alex swallowed his cereal but didn't take another bite, realizing that the silence was a hint for him to say something. "But?"

Jack made a noise – one that suggested the 'but' was obvious. "Well, I can't just up and leave you, can I? That's like – like _abandonment_. And Lord knows, I don't want to be giving you anymore issues…"

"Thanks, Jack."

"Oh, stop it," the woman said, lobbing a ball of newly paired socks at him. "You know what I mean. I'm not going to just drop you because I have somewhere else to be."

"I've already told you, it's fine," Alex replied, picking out a caramelised nut from his muesli and popping it in his mouth. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," Jack agreed, pulling out a pair of his boxers from the basket and starting to fold them, then giving up and throwing them unceremoniously onto his pile. "I just – what if they contact you while I'm gone?"

Alex knew who the 'they' were that she was referring to – in fact, he knew better than she did. "Jack, you wouldn't be able to stop them if they did," he said helpfully, standing and placing his bowl in the sink. "Nobody can."

"I can damn well try," she said, hands poised on her hips, a lock of red hair that had straggled lose from her pony tail framing her face. "I could – well…"

"Feel angry?" Alex supplied, grinning.

Jack's lips twitched unwillingly. "There's that."

"Well, you can feel angry about it down in Cardiff, too," he told her, knowing how much this trip meant to her and not wanting to get in the way. She'd been telling him about it for weeks. "Seriously, Jack – the world isn't going to end because you've left me alone for a couple of days."

"It might," she countered. "Which is why I'm worried – somehow I know you'll end up getting your sorry butt dragged into saving it."

Alex couldn't argue with that. "If I did get caught up in something like that, it probably wouldn't have been my intention, if, you know, that makes you feel any better."

"That doesn't make me feel better, no," Jack said, sighing as she walked into the kitchen, grabbed a tea towel from where it hung off the front of the oven, and then swatted Alex away from the sink with it. "I really don't feel comfortable leaving you alone, Alex. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? It might be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure I could fit you in the hotel room."

"I'll pass," Alex replied, automatically deviating to the dish rack and putting things away as Jack filled the sink to wash the breakfast dishes. "Besides, I wasn't invited, and anyway, Bridezillas aren't really my thing," he sorted the knives, forks and spoons from each other and dumped them in the draw. "If you run into a murderous lunatic, though, feel free to call me."

"Ha, ha," Jack grumbled, not finding humour in the almost blasé way Alex talked about his past experiences – no child should ever have to go through that, and she hated herself for not being strong enough to stop it. "If anything happens, though-"

"I'll call you," Alex said.

Jack nodded, turning towards her charge and waving a soapy ladle at him threateningly. "You'll call me."

* * *

Jack left at around 3 o'clock that afternoon. It was almost a relief to have her out of the house – the hours leading up to her departure were incredibly stressful.

_"Alex, have you seen my dress?"_

_The ceiling above his head shook as Jack thundered around upstairs – considering that the last time he'd seen her she'd been wearing a pair of ridiculously high stilettos, it was quite a feat. "What dress?"_

_What sounded like a cupboard door slammed shut in the background. "The black one," she hollered back, before letting out a string of curses. "Goddammit…"_

_"It's hanging up in the laundry," Alex called, raising the remote to un-mute the TV before a confusing realisation hit. "What do you need a black dress for?"_

_"For the wedding!"_

_Alex blinked. "Isn't that a little masochistic?"_

_The footsteps grew quieter as Jack circled around to the stairs, and then came bounding down them, toe coming down before her heel did every time. "Honey, when you're older, you'll understand that marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be…"_

_Having spent a more than healthy amount of time with Tom's parents, Alex was pretty sure he got it – though he didn't tell Jack that. "You know, if you catch the bouquet, I'd be able to see for myself first hand…"_

_"Don't jinx me," Jack threw over her shoulder as she swept passed, curlers still in her hair, jeans undone and a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth – she pulled it out to speak to him, though. "One man in my life is enough – more than enough. If I wanted another, I'd go to the pound, or something."_

_Alex smiled, a soft, honest smile, and then frowned as he glanced at the clock. "Uh, Jack?"_

_"What?"_

_"Your train leaves in thirty minutes."_

_"Oh, sonofa-"_

Alex flipped another page in his book, the words barely sinking in as his mind wandered – this was the first time Jack had left him since Ian's death. Most of the time it was him leaving her, sometimes without warning or explanation. She deserved this, he knew she did, and he hoped she enjoyed herself, but the fact that she wasn't there was bothering him more than he thought it would.

_She needs some time away_, he told himself, firmly, bringing the book closer to his face to help him concentrate on it. Jack had been through a lot, staying with him. She needed a break, before it all got too much. _She'll be back Monday. I'll ask her to pick up some Chinese on the way through._

Slumping further into the couch cushions, he continued reading, only just getting back into the storyline when the doorbell rang.

Alex frowned, dog-earing his page and setting the book down before going to answer it. He was apprehensive as he walked down the hall – it was too late for the postman, or the man who came to check their water meter. Maybe Mr. Hayes' dog had gotten out again.

When Alex did open the door, though, he immediately wished that it had been something that mundane, because standing on the other side was a man that, had Alex never seen him again, it would have been too soon.

* * *

"Cub?"

Alex smiled, politely, and said; "No."

As he started closing the door, Eagle planted his foot in the threshold, jarring it open. "Don't be rude, kid," he said, annoyed, grabbing the door in case Alex tried to shut it again. "I wouldn't be here unless I knew exactly who you were – now, let me in, before I decide there's going to be a problem."

Alex scowled, refusing to let go of the door. "What do you want?"

"I just told you," was the reply.

"Did you?" Alex asked, though they both knew Eagle hadn't told him anything. "I mustn't have understood, so tell me again – why are you here, and what do you want?"

There was a moment where they just looked at each other, having reached an impasse – then the man grunted; looking like he thought this was a monumental waste of his time. "I don't remember you being this irritating."

"That's funny," Alex said, not sounding particularly amused, "Because you're _exactly _how I remember you."

"And how do you remember me, kid?" The man asked, arching an eyebrow challengingly, almost daring him to answer. Alex didn't – a small part of him still wholly intimidated by the soldier in front of him. "Hm, maybe you're not so different…"

Alex swallowed, expression darkening. _If only you knew… _"You're not coming in – not until I have a reason, and in your case, it needs to be a bloody good one…"

The soldier stiffened, chin jutting out a little at the threat, eyes narrowing. It almost looked like he was gearing up for a fight, one where Alex would definitely come off worse – apparently he still found Alex's presence as insufferable as he did back at camp. "You'd better watch your attitude, kid, because I'm not going to stand for any of that crap, got it?"

Well, that didn't sound good. Threats aside, it sounded like Eagle was planning on sticking around, and, to Alex's growing unease, he was planning to do it in a capacity generally reserved for responsible adults.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, suddenly feeling sick. The light bulb had finally flickered on, and he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together – the final picture wasn't one that he liked. "Tell me what you're doing here."

"MI6 heard that your guardian was going to be out of town for the weekend," Eagle said finally. "Considering your situation," his gaze flicked briefly to the spot just below Alex's heart, causing the boy to subconsciously reach for it. "They thought it would be best if they sent someone to keep an eye on you."

Alex felt his stomach drop to somewhere near his feet. "No…"

"The best candidate was someone you were already familiar with, and seeing as I'm on leave…" Eagle smiled, grimly. "Congratulations, Cub - I'm it."

* * *

**AN: **So after a fair few months of soul searching, here I am again with yet another story to add to my unfinished collection. To all those waiting for an update on NBD, I'm really sorry it's taking so long, but I honestly have no idea what to do with it. Like everything else on my account **besides this story**, it will be on HIATUS until I can sort out these unruly characters inside my head.

On a lighter note, I would like to introduce you to my new plot baby _Taking Flight. _I've wanted to do a more normal guardianship fic for quite some time now, and after months of pulling my hair out over Wolf and Snake, I was lucky enough to have Eagle pay me a visit. Of course it's probably going to be riddled with cliches, but I have tried to put a new spin on them where I can.

I hope you enjoy reading it.

**Disclaimer: **As always, I do not own Alex Rider.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I'd just like to say a very warm thank you to everyone who favorited and followed _Taking Flight_. I haven't written or posted publicly in quite a while and to come back to such a response was awesome.

I'd also like to say a very special thank you to those who took the time to review.** FreezingTime92, Fate's Silver Chain, writer2be14, TantalumCobolt, xDarklightx, Guest, royalfuschia, Cha'90, KatHarkness-Katara **and** Winter Orange**. It's lovely reading your words of encouragement, and I hope I don't let you down in the future!

* * *

Taking Flight  
Chapter Two

* * *

While Alex stood in the doorway, utterly thrown, Eagle pressed his advantage and shouldered his way in, shrugging off his coat and hanging it on the rack. "Trust me, kid, I'm not happy about this either – but orders are orders," he said, glancing back as the evening breeze followed him in. "Shut the door, would you, before you let all the cold air in."

…

By the time Alex recovered, redid the deadlocks, and followed the man into the house, Eagle had wandered into the lounge room. As he walked in, determined to unload at least some of his growing frustration on the soldier, he found him standing by the bookshelf, looking at a framed photograph that showed a smiling, giggling baby Alex clutched to his mother's chest, with his father hugging them both.

Everything Alex had been gearing up to say flew straight out of his head. "What are you doing?"

It came out accusing, snappish – he hadn't meant it to, but there was something so incredibly wrong with Eagle, a stranger, holding that picture. His parents were a taboo subject – an intimate part of him that he didn't share with anyone, not even Jack.

Eagle might not have liked him, that much was clear, but he was considerate enough to not snap back, understanding that he'd just crossed some unspoken line. Taking care as he placed the photo back on the shelf, he glanced over at the kid. "I was just looking, Cub," he said, wiping dusty hands on his jeans and nodding to the photo. "Are those your parents?"

"From what I've been told," Alex answered, shortly.

Eagle nodded, briefly, running a hand through his hair. "They seem happy," he said, finally, for lack of anything better to say. It felt awkward, really, but while he wasn't here to necessarily play nice, he wasn't here to intentionally hurt the kid, either. He was here, dare he say it, to _look after _the brat. "Look, Cub, we need to talk."

"You don't say," Alex muttered, only somewhat mollified by the man's half-assed condolence – this was his house, after all. "Well? What is it you want to talk about, then?"

"Sit," Eagle said, gesturing toward the couch as he slumped into an arm chair. "I've got a couple of ground rules to set out before you disappear – don't look at me like that, kid," he warned, scowling. "We both don't like this situation, that's a given, but there's nothing we can do about it, alright? I'm not sure what your relationship with MI6 is like, but when they tell you to do something, I expect you do it."

"Pretty much," Alex bit out, lowering himself onto the couch, perching right on the edge of the cushion, eyes still narrowed. "Last I checked, though – the SAS didn't answer to MI6."

"Oh, and you're a guru, are you?" Eagle asked, mocking, elbow resting on the chair arm, chin in his palm. "Though, in a sense, you're right – the SAS doesn't answer to them, not usually. Fortunately, or unfortunately, for you – this isn't strictly an MI6 assignment," the soldier shook his head ruefully, lips twitching. "See, Cub, the thing is – you belong to us, too."

That didn't make any sense – or it did, but Alex wasn't willing to acknowledge it. "I don't understand," he said, frowning. "What do you mean I belong to you?"

"Not to me," Eagle replied, leaving the '_thank god'_unsaid. "But to the SAS – you are as much a part of them as you are a part of MI6," he let that sink in for a minute. "So, this is more of a joint operation, of a sort."

Alex's mouth was suddenly dry. In his head, the words _joint operation_ had changed to _joint custody_, and it was understandably freaking him out. If MI6 was the abusive father in his life, then what did that make the SAS? "And they sent you because…?"

Eagle shrugged, and then said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world; "Well, I'm a part of your Unit, aren't I?"

"Please, don't remind me."

For the most part, Eagle ignored him. "They were going to send Wolf, but he's got himself tied up in _ceremonial duties_, 'cause he's a commanding officer. Of course, the next option was Snake, but he's got some personal stuff to sort out in Glasgow. Then there was Fox, but somehow the prick got himself seconded to special operations…"

"So," Alex said, throwing him a disdainful look. "I got stuck with their last choice, then?"

"Don't be ungrateful," Eagle cautioned, though he didn't sound particularly angry. "And no, I wasn't their last choice. I had plans. But then they started talking about sending our new guy to stay with you, and considering that the whole point was to send someone you knew – well, here I am."

Alex chewed the inside of his cheek, refusing to meet the man's gaze. "I'm not going to say thank you. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

There was a snort – more derisive than amused, but the undertone was there. "Is that how you got shot?" He drawled, tauntingly, grinning as Alex turned to glower at him. "Yeah, I know about that. I know a lot, actually, but I'm not here for that," he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped between them. "I'm here, basically, to keep you alive – according to the missive paper; I'm to 'take over any and all parental responsibilities until such time as Jacqueline Starbright returns'."

If Eagle had a parental side to him, Alex hadn't seen it yet, and to be perfectly honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. "Will anyone be checking up on us? Like, to make sure you're doing it right?"

"Afraid I'm going to do something, Cub?"

"No," Alex said, and it might have been a lie. "What I mean is, if they're not, then can't we just, you know," he paused, trying to think of the right words. "Go our separate ways, or something?"

Eagle raised an eyebrow, questioningly. "I'm not one to disobey an order, Cub, regardless of whether or not I want to do it."

"I know," Alex amended, quickly, sitting a little straighter as he figured out a more succinct way of putting it. "I don't mean you have to leave, or anything. I'm just saying – I could do my thing, and you could do yours."

"So, you want us to live separate lives, while under the same roof – that's what you're trying to say?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Don't you?"

Eagle scratched the stubble on his cheek, and then ran a hand over it, trying to smooth it down. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. "It doesn't exactly fit the brief, if you know what I mean. I'm supposed to, what was it? Be parental? Completely ignoring you doesn't exactly do that, does it?"

"You don't have to follow the brief," Alex replied, exasperated – were all military blokes such a stickler for the rules? "I'm hardly going to tell anyone if you don't, am I?"

There was a pause, and then Alex tried one last time to make his case.

"Do you even know _how_to be parental?"

Across the room, Eagle shrugged. "I have a niece I babysit from time to time – feed, wash, put to sleep. That's the general gist, isn't it? From what I remember, you've pretty much got those down pat anyway, so I think we'll do just fine."

Alex was getting agitated, tapping his foot impatiently on the carpet as he tried to find a way out of this situation –he didn't want Eagle here, and Eagle didn't want Eagle here. Surely he could tempt the man into leaving. "You just said it yourself – I can take care of myself. Don't you have better things to do this weekend, besides watching me do that?"  
"You really are trying hard, aren't you?" Eagle said. "Look, kid. I'm not going anywhere – not until I get the call that says I can, so you're just going to have to put up with me, and I'll do the same," he noted the way Alex's hands tightened into fists on top of his sweatpants, knuckles turning white. That hadn't been what he wanted to hear, obviously. "But I will make you a deal, alright? If you hear me out and do what I ask, then I'll leave you alone – hell, if you do that, I might even do things for you. Sound good?"

Alex snorted, shaking his head. Jack used this tactic on him all the time – made it look like she was negotiating, but really just offered Alex what she was prepared to give in the first place. Still, there was no getting out of this – he knew that even better. "Say what you have to say," he said, letting himself fall back into the soft comfort of the couch. "I'll decide what I'm going to do then, and that's all that you get to expect from me."

Eagle wasn't exactly overjoyed by the response, but he was smart enough to know that that was the closest he was going to get to an agreement. This was the kid's home, his territory, and stomping all over it with an authority he was loath to recognize wasn't going to get Eagle anywhere. "All I want from you, kid, is for you to tell me when you're going out, what time you expect to be back – you should probably give me your phone number, and yes, I know you have one," he rubbed his knee, frowning. "I also need to know if you have any problems, medically, that is, though if something else is bothering you, I guess you should come to me, too…"

"I'll try not to," Alex offered, rather flatly.

Eagle gritted his teeth, and, after giving a quick, silent prayer to whoever was listening for patience, continued as evenly as he could. "Anyway, I know you're still taking medications for that gunshot wound – how many pills are you on, again?"

When Alex didn't immediately answer, Eagle scowled.

"Cub," he prompted, sharply, intimidatingly. "I don't care much for the 'sullen teenage silence' act, though if you want to waste your time doing it, you can go right ahead –but when it comes to your health, you're going to be straight with me, understand?"

"Two," Alex supplied, somewhat reluctantly, after he'd bit back his first retort, which wasn't necessarily kind. Certainly, Eagle's uncompromising attitude was starting to grate, but deep down he could understand why the man wanted them to be on the level about his injuries. "One in the morning, one in the evening."

"Have you taken the evening one yet?"

"No."

"Okay – you know you have an appointment for the doctor on Sunday, right?"

"Yeah," Alex said, averting his gaze, fingers absently drumming against his thigh. "I was going to catch the tube, you know, because Jack isn't here to take me."

"I'll take you," Eagle waved it off dismissively, as though it wasn't a problem. "Though I have to stop at gym afterward – I have a boxing lesson, already paid for. I'll lose money if I miss it."

"Can I wait in the car?"

"If it's not too hot, sure," Eagle agreed. "I'll even crack a window for you."

Alex ignored the joke. "That's fine, then."

"Good," there was a lengthy pause, then, as though Eagle was trying to decide how to broach the subject. Apparently he decided that the best approach was to simply dive right in. "I've been told that your grades are kind of shit – excuse the language."

"You know, the amount of stuff you know about me is bordering on disturbing," Alex informed the soldier after a couple of seconds, mildly take-aback by the choice of topic. "But yeah, I guess they aren't that great – I've got it sorted, though."

"Yeah?" Eagle asked, gaze piercing as he looked Alex straight in the eye. "So, you have catch-up you need to be doing? Homework?"

"A bit."

"Is it done?"

"Almost."

"Define 'almost'."

Alex was starting to seriously dislike Eagle's attention to detail. "I have to finish reading a book by Monday, and finish a physics assignment by Thursday."

"Huh," Eagle grunted, contemplating. "What book do you have to read?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm curious."

Alex had several different answers to that, but he didn't voice any of them, instead pointing at the book sitting on the stand beside Eagle. It was the one he'd been reading earlier. "That one."

Eagle looked, slowly reaching out to pick it up. "You're joking," he said, disbelieving. "This is the book you have to read?"

"Yeah," Alex answered, raising an eyebrow. "Why, what's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it?" Eagle asked, though his tone suggested that he was really asking 'what's wrong with_ you_?' "This book is mental is what's wrong with it. The author was a complete nutjob, I can tell you that much."

"You've read it?"

"Kid, I tried," Eagle said, turning the book over to inspect the cover, and then opening it up to see how far Alex had gotten. "Page ten… how long have you been reading it?"

Alex shrugged. "About an hour."

"You're not going to get it read by Monday, that's for sure," Eagle remarked, tossing it back down on the table without much care. "Isn't there anything else you can read? Is this the only text?"

"There were others," Alex said, shifting and wincing a little at the feel of too-tight skin being stretched around his scar. It meant his Vicodin was finally beginning to wear off – he'd need to take another pill soon. "Some novels and a couple of movies, but 'Time's Arrow' was the only book we had."

"You couldn't have gotten something else out of the library?"

"I didn't think about it."

Eagle, thankfully, didn't have anything to say about him not being prepared, or particularly proactive, about his school work – or, if he did, he kept it to himself. "What were the movies called? If you can remember them, that is."

Alex tried – momentarily drifting back to that day in English class, where Miss Stark had read out the list of texts they could choose to do their in-class essay on. As always, Tom had been screwing around at their desk –irritating the academic kids sitting in front of them with spitballs and screwed up pieces of paper. Alex had very nearly disowned him. "Rear Window, I think, and Fight Club – I can't remember the others."

"Right," Eagle said as he stood, bones cracking loudly, and checked his watch. "It's only four o'clock – I'll pick up Fight Club from the video store when I go down to get dinner later," pausing halfway to the hall, he turned to look at Alex. "We're having lasagna. I'm not really in the mood for anything else, to be honest."

"You know," Alex said before the soldier could turn away, an idea forming in his head. Talking about his school life had turned their conversation into something that was almost friendly and he didn't like the feeling of slipping so easily into pre-defined familial roles. "I don't really like lasagna."

Eagle shrugged, wholly unconcerned. "Then I guess you can starve."

"I guess I could," Alex answered solemnly. "But then, that wouldn't be very good parenting on your part now, would it?"

For a moment, Eagle simply stared, as though weighing up the pros and cons of buying into this little power play and what the consequences might be. If he didn't give in, there was the chance that the kid would see him as a dictator and rebel against him out of spite. On the other hand, if he did give in, there was a chance that Cub would continually test the boundaries to see what he could get away with. Either way, he knew he wasn't going to get through the weekend without his fair share of headaches.

"I'll bite," he said finally, shifting to prop his shoulder up against the doorframe. "What do you want instead, then?"

"Thai," was the response, delivered without any hesitation. "From that new place they opened down on Murray Street. It's supposed to be good."

It was also supposed to be _very_expensive, something that he was certain the kid knew. Tilting his head to the side, he feigned considering it. "You know what? I'll get it for you. But don't expect it every night, alright?

Alex blinked, completely thrown. "Why?"

"Because you sat down and heard me out, kid. You give a little, I'll give a little – that's how it works," Eagle replied seriously before wandering out into the hallway. "And anyway, you were such a _good_little boy. How could I say no?"

Alex glowered at his retreating back. But as annoyed as he was, there was one thing he couldn't deny.

_Well played_, he thought to himself, mouth quirking just a little in smile. _Well played indeed._


End file.
